MGSFV?! Chapter 346. Ripping That Fake Skin Right Off!
Of course, the answer was: absolutely not.
To sweep away everything—even oneself—as the final straw… that was far too grandiose.
Even the surrounding space where the two stood, every trace of data, had been wiped away by the aftershock of that final blow—leaving behind nothing but pure white.
Within that whiteness, the Herrscher of Corruption clutched her wound, gnashing her teeth.
"Even now… you should know, I… cannot be completely erased."
Despite being outplayed by the Flame-Chasers again and again, she still had the nerve to be this "confident."
One had to admit, she was a textbook villain.
"The only 'obstacle' you've removed with that resolve and full-force attack—was yourself."
At that moment, the game gave the Herrscher of Corruption a dramatic close-up.
Which prompted countless players to start spamming question marks in the stream chat.
Stop zooming in on her face already. It's infuriating.
Just as players were fuming and the Herrscher was basking in her smugness—
"Indeed."
Hua nodded lightly, not denying it.
But then she casually added a reminder.
"But… Herrscher of Corruption, by now… surely you've noticed?"
"…?!"
"You've already…"
Following Hua's cue, the Herrscher slowly lowered her gaze.
"…lost the form of Elysia."
Only now did the Herrscher realize with shock—she had been exposed.
[Herrscher of Corruption, I've tolerated you long enough. That disguise? Ripped off and scattered all over the floor!!!]
[Hahaha, this is so satisfying, I'm popping champagne!]
[I still have a box left from Otto's arc—going to grab it now.]
[Herrscher of Sentience: LMAO, got your disguise deleted by data. Even better than I did.]
[For once, that Herrscher of Sentience comment actually hit.]
This was the true original plan of the Flame-Chasers.
The Herrscher of Corruption had tried to become Elysia in order to seize control of Kevin Armament Model 666.
But because she had deleted Elysia's data early on, she could only piece together a "fake Elysia" by corrupting the data of the other Flame-Chasers—and use that to access their power.
And once the corrupted Flame-Chasers chose to burn themselves away, the Herrscher of Corruption not only lost power, but also lost the memory fragments linking her to Elysia.
She still didn't understand: if she couldn't recreate Elysia, how could the Herrscher of Thunder surpass her?
To this, Hua answered:
"Now, the path to the outside world, the chance to stop Mei, and your means of taking over the system… you've lost them all."
"And the changes Elysia brought to Mei—the marks she left on her… that's the true key to surpassing you."
The players, hearing this, also began recalling…
The words Elysia once said to Mei—
That the Flame-Chasers were nothing more than complex, flawed individuals, just like any other ordinary people of their time.
They had personal desires, were far from saints, but could still, out of a fleeting emotion or impulsive thought, do something brave and beautiful.
They were never perfect heroes—just the ones who happened to be there when it mattered.
Because of that, Elysia believed that if it had been someone else in their place, the choice made wouldn't be that different—maybe even better.
That was her vision of eternal beauty, of her belief in the True Self.
What the Flame-Chasers had done in this moment was the embodiment of Elysia's belief in the True Self.
And that True Self—would be answered by Elysia herself.
"No matter where or when… Elysia will always answer your call~♪"
All of this had been built up for so long.
To sing the anthem of humanity—and in the moment of humanity's shining stars, welcome back the Thirteenth Herrscher:
The Herrscher of Human: Ego.
An incredibly romantic design.
"Surpass me…"
The Herrscher of Corruption still refused to admit defeat, stubborn to the core.
She didn't learn a single good thing from the Flame-Chasers, but picked up all the bad.
"Hehehe… That remains to be seen."
"You shouldn't be so quick to assume things."
"If I could do it once, I can do it again."
"I won't let you die…"
???
What's going on? Why are they all so obsessed with Hua??
Hmm…
Perhaps because Hua is just naturally gifted at completely breaking down Herrschers?
Always accomplishing what no one else can?
Hua: "Counting my counterparts, I've made three Herrschers mentally collapse—anyone else?"
Of course, Hua wasn't thinking about that now.
Faced with the Herrscher of Corruption's attempt to absorb her to stay alive, she calmly said Two words:
"Too late."
No signs of corruption appeared on her body.
Before the Herrscher's authority could take hold, all of Hua's data was already beginning to vanish.
Some players, seeing this, instinctively prepared to spam mocking comments like—
"Herrscher of Corruption, you can't do anything anymore…"
But they quickly realized.
They could only watch as Hua faded away…
Their expressions twisted—part smirk, part grief.
And then came Hua's final words—
"In the past, we were indeed failures."
"But for the future… Herrscher of Corruption, the confrontation that allows us to become pioneers…"
"...only begins now."
The game scene changed.
Character cards for Hua, Su, and Aponia appeared briefly.
Crack—crack—crack—
Three consecutive shatters, nearly giving players heart attacks.
Thirteen Flame-Chasers.
Only Eden remains.
In this Elysian Realm made from their memories, thirteen people who never became heroes…
Now, just one is left.
Back when Kevin first cracked open, many players were joking and exhaling in relief.
Now… that feeling was gone.
In this moment, all they wanted was to offer their deepest respect to the Flame-Chasers who protected two civilizations.
And from the bottom of their hearts, they hoped Honkai Impact 3rd would give them a beautiful ending—not betray their sacrifice.
Scriptwriters—this time, we'll trust you one last time. Please hold the line.
And...
Eden, we're counting on you.
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